Grab offers "smarter city" solutions to ease traffic in PH


By Unknown
November 22, 2017 -


For Brian Cu, the Country Head of Grab Philippines, the company is more than just its ubiquitous smartphone app.

Speaking before 87 city mayors from across the country at the LCP 2017 General Assembly last November 21, 2017, Mr. Cu presented Grab’s technology that he believes will help develop “smarter cities” and address challenges related to traffic and mobility. 
 
“Grab is a marriage of technology and transportation. At the end of the day, what we provide is not just an app, but a service that brings you from where you’re coming from and where you want to get to,” he said.
 
By utilizing app usage analytics, Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing service has created extensive and accessible data-driven solutions to ease transport and traffic congestion in Philippine cities. 
 
According to Cu, harnessing big data has enabled the company to identify the right transport routes in which to invest. This initiative comes at a time when the national government is closely coordinating with local governments as it pushes for the modernization of public utility vehicles (PUV). 
 
“We can customize traffic light systems towards the move for smarter cities. We can use data analytics to formulate better policies to address the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines, and of course, deployment of traffic resources in the right parts of the city,” he said. 
 
Mr. Cu added that with Grab’s driver GPS data, it can create better road safety and emergency response tactics as well as congestion analysis and traffic signal optimization. It has done so with Taguig City and Cebu City, where they have identified the best times to travel, average speed of vehicles throughout the day, congestion period, and flow of traffic through data analytics.
 
Moving forward, Grab plans to share its data openly to more local governments to help them in their traffic management policy and in upgrading their traffic infrastructure, which includes waiting sheds, traffic signals, and CCTVs. 
 
It has begun working with city governments to improve mobility for local citizens by providing them with shuttle services that will take them to the city hall, which are notorious for their cramped parking spaces.
 
Grab currently services the high-density cities of Metro Manila, Baguio, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, Angeles, and CDO through its various mobility offerings. The company knows that to deliver valuable, data-driven solutions to its users and the public at large, it must closely work together with cities and their respective governments.
 
“The future of Grab Philippines, sirs and madams, is in your hands,” he said.
Granting Authority to make Advance Payments for the Procurement of COVID-19 Vaccines
February 19, 2021
LOOK: Memorandum Order No. 51 signed by President Duterte granting the national government and local government units (LGUs) authority to make advance payments exceeding the 15\% limit for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.
The Advocate
January 15, 2021
The Q1-Q2 2020 issue of our official newsletter features the League's mid-year accomplishments including our response to COVID-19.
 MEMO
Appeal for coordinated assistance to affected cities of Typhoon Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses
November 16, 2020
The unprecedented landfall of three (3) tropical storms in three weeks or from October 25 to November 11 in the country has greatly affected our cities from Luzon. Based on the available Situational Reports from the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), a total of 64 cities have been affected by Typhoon Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses.
Roundtable Consultation on Metropolitan Transport with Clean Air Asia
October 22, 2020
We invite you to an online consultation with Clean Air Asia on 27 October 2020 (Tuesday), from 2:30 to 6:15 p.m., to deepen the conversation on the importance of establishing and reorganizing transport authorities and executives.
 FEATURE CITY